beauty in simplicity

Here I am, sitting at in my apartment. Crazy how quickly time goes.

More than a month ago I came back from Uganda. I am so glad that I went there for the summer. It wasn't always easy or fun, but I really did enjoy it. God is so good. The things I learned there I gained only from my experience there. One thing that has been a main theme throughout my summer was finding beauty in simplicity. In Africa, things are so much simpler there. Not much technology, food is cooked over the fire, little electricity and no running water. People go to bed shortly after the sun goes down. As different as it was, I found it to be beautiful in how simple the way of living is there. 

Coming back home, it was difficult adjusting back to what was "normal." I had grown used to life in Africa, even as varying as it was. I couldn't take a warm shower without thinking of how much easier things are in North America. And yet I knew the differences in the simple, routine things of the day would quickly be forgotten. I suppose that is part of how one gets used to change and adjusting to a new location.

Starting school this week at King's University brought a lot of change. I'm really glad I'm here, but again, being in a new location brings differences in living. Living with 3 other roommates, taking classes with other new students, and living in Edmonton, Alberta. It's different, but good. I'm excited for what this year will bring, friendships that will form, and ways that I can be involved in school. I'm hoping to be on a worship team that plays for Chapel services, as well as join a small group bible study. I feel really eager to get involved, meet people and have this feel like my new home. Sometimes I just have to remind myself that God is with me, wherever I go. I just love that :)

A lot has happened in the last couple weeks! The director/co-founder of Village of Hope was here for a couple weeks. She was a lot of fun to have around. She even treated all of us to Macaroni and Cheese- KD for the Canadians ;) and spam. It was so good. Last week we to the school's music, dance, and drama competition. We got to ride there in a cattle car with the tubs of beans and rice for the kids. The kids did so well, we were all like very proud mothers. When we arrived at the school where the competition is, everyone saw us white people and swarmed us. It was one of the most memorable things I've experienced. Some of the kids there had never seen white people before. As soon as I reached out my hand to shake some of the kids hands, nearly 50 hands came at me. We felt like celebrities, always being watched. The kids received first place so tomorrow they are going to the next level of competitions. We're hoping we can go to see them perform. It might work out to pay for sometime to drive us on a motorcycle, or "boda" as they call it. We've gotten to ride a couple times and it was a lot of fun. It reminded me of some video game, having to maneuver all the pot holes and go around vehicles and people.

I just counted that there are 8 days left at the Village counting today. My parents are coming tomorrow which I'm really looking forward to. Pray that the rest of their traveling will go well. They got delayed in Chicago because of thunderstorms.

It seems weird to be leaving here after spending a lot of time here with the kids. Some kids know that I am leaving soon and are already asking when I will be coming back. I think it's hard for them to understand how difficult it is to come and visit. It's really cool seeing how healthy, friendly and intelligent these kids are. Knowing some of their backgrounds, and seeing where they are today is amazing. It's hard to imagine them as the same person. One of the boys here, Norman, was forced to kill his parents because of the LRA. I see him today and his brother and sister, and can't even picture what they have been through.

I asked the director about the 11-year old girl Mercy, who I had mentioned earlier. I was really curious about her story. She told me that Mercy's parents were killed by the LRA. Mercy had told her all the places her father was cut. I'm guessing she was there when her parents were killed. Her grandmother took her in, along with her younger brother. But her grandmother was too old to take care of her, so she went to one of the IDP camps (internally displaced persons). Today she is at Village of Hope and doing really well. Miracles do happen.

faces

Lawrence having fun with the guitar I brought through DuncanAfrica

enjoying Novida (pineapple-flavored) pop.. so good!!

Aunt Janelle balancing a bag of mangoes on her head.  

Kari with David. He has the cutest squeal laugh :)

Rachel

Cute little Aaron. He's a lot of fun. :)

Me and my friend Mercy. So precious!

Goofy girls. Rebecca, Ruth and Innocent.

A little boy from Mile 8, a small town a mile from the Village. He always runs up to us and waves whenever he sees us. I like him. 

Riding in the back of the pickup on the way to the Nile only 8 miles away.  Kari on  the left, with Kayla in the middle, obviously having a good time, and Tanya, the leader of one of the missions teams. 

Our girls (cousins plus one) hut! Erin, Jenna, me, Kari and Kayla

When the crocodile becomes President.

It's Sunday afternoon here. I imagine most back home would just be getting up for church. As I sit inside our mud hut, I hear the rain and the voices of some young boys nearby playing Uno, or as they call it "Huno." These boys always come by our hut asking us for the Uno cards. They just love it. (These boys are in my facebook profile pic.)

We said farewell to the second team that we have had the pleasure of being here with. The team said goodbye to everyone at church. Some of them were slightly teary after there week of being with the kids here. I thought to myself how much harder it will be for us being here a lot longer.

I wish I could share with all of you the true beauty of the people here. I was observing yesterday how beautiful their smiles are. My little friend Mercy is 11 years old. She's a bit more shy than the other girls, doesn't jump at the chance to dance, like most of the girls do, but loves singing songs. She's taught me quite a few songs, one of them is even in Acholi. It doesn't take too much to make her smile or laugh. She is just precious. I was sick one morning -I learned the lesson to not take my malaria pill first thing in the morning- and when Mercy heard from Kayla that I wasn't feeling well, she came running to my hut to see me. She also told me when she was talking with her friend Sheila, Sheila said to her, "Victoria is my best friend." "No," Mercy replied, "Victoria is my bestest friend in the whole wide world. When the crocodile becomes President, then she will be your best friend." Turns out Sheila was referring to Kayla instead of me. It was really cute. :)

Dirty feet, cold bucket baths and posho are now the new norms that I have grown accustomed to. Posho and beans are the main foods at most meals. At first glance it looks like mashed potatoes, but it is actually made out of corn flour. "It is a flavorless mush that is kind of hard," adds Kayla. I can't really say I like it, but it's food. When teams are here, we have the treat of rice and pineapple. The fruit here is really good and fresh. We walked a mile into town this week with Aunt Janelle and some cooks and bought some mangos. 3 mangos for 10 cents. Pretty good deal, huh? Kayla attempted carrying the bag of mangos on her head. I don't think it lasted too long. :)

Today we washed some of the walls in the church building. It is an cement building that has open sections that act as windows. The kids often sit on the open areas, and their dirty hands and feet have a way of sticking to the wall. We didn't get it all done, but it's a start. We also taught some younger boys how to play 500, or Jackpot. We all had fun playing with them. Still trying to learn names. Not a super easy job with about 200 kids here. But I have gotten to recognize and remember a few groups of names.

Last Saturday I had a sleepover with Vicky. Kari and I slept in the same room and got to hang out with the girls there. The two of us took a nap before the girls came to get us from our hut. Kind of ridiculous having a nap at 9, but for some reason I feel like I need so much sleep here. They were having a movie night with the whole village watching The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. They had subtitles on because the only sound coming out was from the computer's speakers. The reactions of the kids were the best. When they saw Mr. Tumnus, they all gasped and then laughed. I don't know if they had ever seen something like him before. During the fighting scene, they were all cheering and getting excited. The kids here are really fun and talented. They pick up games and music quickly. I have been able to teach some guitar chords to kids. Some already know a couple basic chords. Even the music teacher Dennis wants to learn and has come up to me a couple times asking how to play a certain song. Hopefully I can do more with music here. Even though there is no radio or TV, there is no shortage of music. People are constantly singing songs, humming, or whistling.

Dear Victoria
How are you my friend? I am happy to see you my friend. Thank your kindness and prayers. I will pray for you every day and may God bless you in everything you do. Always remember how much he loves you and you are never alone. He surrounds you with his love, mercy and grace. Always kind to understand and work hard and study hard in school. I can see that you have a kind and gentle but strong spirit. Let the spirit of God guide you and follow your dreams. God bless you my friend
Love
Simon Kinyera
I have five sisters and three brothers. How many in your family? Bring your family picture.


I received this note tonight from one of the guys here. Such a sweet, sweet note that I just had to share. To be honest, I don't even remember who he is... Oh dear.. Today we did some random jobs, like pruning bushes, cleaning out a closet (where Jenna ran into a rat), helped kids make beads, threw around a frisbee, and helped women from Gulu learn how to knit. Fun day. Hot, too. It actually feels generally cooler than South Dakota or Alberta. Except today was pretty hot in the sun. 


I have gotten around 8 notes from kids here. I have to write them back but the problem is, I don't even remember who some of them are, or what house they live in. This one from Auma Stella writes," I love you so much my lovely best friend. You look beautiful in my eye. If you enter in my heart you will see my love for you." How poetic :)

We've had 3 full days at the Village! It seems like a lot longer. It's been good, hanging out with the kids, and getting to know the American team from Texas who is here till next Tuesday. Our first night here, we were so exhausted from traveling that we slept 14 hours. We were quite surprised we could sleep for that long. It's kind of hard right now, to know exactly what we're supposed to do, how to interact with the kids, and how to spend our time. Our days are pretty much up to us how much time we want to spend with the kids, or resting, or helping out with random jobs. I'm looking forward to getting more comfortable here, and getting a routine down. This morning Kayla, Kari, Jenna and I got to help with the bead project. We took the beads off of a string that had been dipped in vinyl and then sorted out the good and bad beads. We even got to make a pattern and string a bracelet. Now people will buy a bracelet thinking it was made from Ugandan children. haha- not that one :)

The people here are so friendly and welcoming. Their common greeting is "You are welcome," or "We welcome you." I really like it. The kids are often smiling and laughing. The kids are so respectful. Whenever we walk by a couple kids walking the other direction, they will often kneel down until you pass. It's kind of strange. Almost like they're bowing down to you, but it's just a cultural thing to get used to. 

From what I've observed here, everything here seems long. Or it's at least done for longer periods of time. Like singing one song in church or doing a traditional Acholi dance. They don't seem to get bored with it. During church, especially, I was thinking of how in our western culture, a worship song will last for about 5 minutes, and even in the song there is variation of harmonies, rhythms, and intensity. Here the songs seem like the same level all the way through. Along with the dancing. The kids performed a dance for the rest of the village and us mizungoos (white people). I was expecting a 30min performance with different types of dancing. They did maybe 4 different dances over the course of 2 hours. I was thinking, "This is really nice and fun.. but it's kind of long.. they've been doing the same exact thing with the same drum rhythm for half an hour....okay, I cannot be getting bored. I'm in Africa. This is crazy!" So my thought process probably reflects a lot of western culture. We like variety. I think I can be learning to enjoy each moment no matter how short or long it lasts. 

Thanks to everyone for your prayers! I so appreciate them. It's really encouraging to know that people are thinking of me and caring about me. Some things you could pray for... getting to know the kids, good sleeps ( the roosters have been waking up Kayla and Kari at 5am), the kids here, and that I would take every opportunity I can to get to know people and really make the most of my time here. 2 months seems like a really long time. But pray that in our time here, God would be working through us and working in us. I miss you all!

1 week prior

5 days till I head out to AFRICA! It's hard to believe that in less than a week I'm going to be completely submersed in a new culture, with new people, new foods, new climate, new new new.. I am so excited.

One of the things I'm most looking forward to is connecting with the kids at the Village of Hope. I don't even know the details of what our time will look like for the next 2 months, but I know that God has really great things planned for us. The spontaneity of how 4 of us cousins are going there adds to the fact that we're supposed to be there.

Some things that we will be helping with...
-the library. There's "library time" where someone reads to the kids, or helps the kids read. The kids go to school, where they actually are taught in English. However, they don't understand that much of the English language.
-making beads. They have a project at the Village, making jewelry out of recycled paper beads. They're pretty sweet. We might be helping with making the jewelry and helping sort beads.
-playing with the kids :) A lot of our time in Uganda is spent how we want to spend it. The more we invest into the kids, the more rewarding it will be.
-teaching music. The kids love music, and some really want to learn guitar. There's also a keyboard there, so I might get to teach some of that.

I would love your prayers for me and the other girls going on this trip. That God would open our eyes and our hearts to serve completely, to grow to love the people we are working with, and to give us the strength we need.

the vision of Village of Hope...

In the 1980s, the Lord’s Resistance Movement, a militant group in Uganda started rising to power. It has been estimated that 66,000 children have been abducted in Uganda and made to work as soldiers, porters, sex slaves, human shields, bait and as “wives” of rebels. Village of Hope provides a safe home for rescued, orphaned children, training widows as “moms” to the kids and supplying the children with an education. This is a unique place where nurture and counseling helps the kids move beyond the pain, wounds, and heartache from years of abandonment, abduction and hopelessness. At Village of Hope, they know that healing comes through time, love, and hope in the grace of God. There are still about 1,200 Ugandan children being held by the Lord’s Resistance Army. God has been at work in Uganda, bringing healing and restoration to the rescued children. Please pray that the children at VOH would be able to feel God’s unconditional love.